Study shows benefits of early anticlotting therapy in moderate COVID-19: International RAPID Trial could contribute to clinical practice
COVID-19 is marked by heightened inflammation and abnormal clotting in the blood vessels, particularly in the lungs, and is believed to contribute to progression to severe disease and death. New trial results show that administering a full dose of a standard blood thinner early to moderately ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 could halt the thrombo-inflammation […]
Which Came First: Low Testosterone Levels or Severe COVID-19?
Low testosterone levels in men with symptomatic COVID-19 were associated with a greater risk of severe illness or death, according to Italian researchers. Their case-control study found that, among men admitted to the emergency department of a Milan Hospital during the first wave of the pandemic, the lower the level of testosterone the higher the […]
mRNA vaccines slash risk of COVID-19 infection by 91 percent in fully vaccinated people, study finds: Illness is significantly milder in rare ‘breakthrough’ cases of the disease
People who receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are up to 91 percent less likely to develop the disease than those who are unvaccinated, according to a new nationwide study of eight sites, including Salt Lake City. For those few vaccinated people who do still get an infection, or “breakthrough” cases, the study suggests that vaccines reduce […]
Delta Variant Now Dominant Strain In The U.S., CDC Estimates
The delta variant of the coronavirus is likely the most common strain of COVID-19 in the United States, according to estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimated that 51.7% of new cases for the two-week period ending July 3 were linked to the delta strain while 28.7% of new cases […]
Our Narrow Understanding of Myocarditis After COVID Vaccines
As the wave of vaccination to protect against COVID-19 spreads across the world, surveillance for possible vaccine-related adverse events remains active. So far, no data have emerged to definitively link the mRNA vaccines manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna with serious adverse events other than rare episodes of anaphylaxis, and the vaccines are performing well in […]
One GI Symptom Stuck Around Months After Severe COVID
While most gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms resolved for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, inability to gain weight persisted for months, researchers found in a retrospective study. Half of all patients (50.6%) could not regain weight at 3 months, while 32.4% of patients reported an inability to gain weight 6 months later, reported Arvind J. Trindade, MD, from […]
Protein ‘big bang’ reveals molecular makeup for medicine and bioengineering
Proteins have been quietly taking over our lives since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We’ve been living at the whim of the virus’s so-called “spike” protein, which has mutated dozens of times to create increasingly deadly variants. But the truth is, we have always been ruled by proteins. At the cellular level, they’re responsible for pretty […]
When You Ignore My Gender, You Dehumanize Me
“What are you?” asks the medical assistant as he checks me in for my COVID-19 swab. As a medical student, I am routinely tested for COVID-19. “What do you mean?” My chest tightens, warning me of what’s to come. He looks exasperated, hands hovering over his keyboard. “Look. Are you a man or woman? I […]
Tenofovir Treatment Lessened Risk of Severe COVID Infection in HBV
Treatment with tenofovir reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), a researcher reported. In the database study of adults with HBV already on tenofovir (Biktarvy) or entecavir at 28 Spanish hospitals, patients on tenofovir had a 6% lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 versus 36% of those […]
Liver Fibrosis Linked to Lower Response to COVID Vaccine
An evaluation of antibody titers developed in response to the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine appeared to show a correlation between low response and advanced liver fibrosis, researchers from Israel reported. In a cohort of 140 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the more advanced the fibrosis was, the less of a response patients had to […]